Any characters you like more/less now?

[Elysium]

So, what the title asks: any characters in the series you like more now--or less--after playing KH3?

For me, of course some of the characters I already liked I like even more now (Sora, Even, Larxene, Marluxia, Isa), but there were other characters I never cared much about that I came to enjoy and look forward to seeing more of post-KH3 now. Like Ienzo, Demyx, and Luxord. Never cared about any of those three before now. Xemnas and Ansem SOD actually didn't get on my nerves. And I used to always sort of dislike Lea, but my opinion of the character changed after the scenes during/after the confrontation with Isa. He was funny in the Mysterious Tower scene when they were all gathered together before the KG. RAX crying together was so sad/sweet and all four at the clocktower was the best ending for any of the trios, imo.

My opinion didn't really shift in the negative direction for any of the characters, but I wish Roxas and Namine had got a little more attention. Young Xehanort was...a little different than I expected after 3D, not necessarily bad. And Dilan was just scenery. I hope Repliku finds a way to come back and be with Namine again. :( My opinion of the rest of the cast was about the same as it already was before KH3.

 

[Sora1274]

Spoiler Show

Ienzo and Vexen went way up for me. It has me wondering though which of these people will return in the next saga. A lot I want to return in some capacity in some future game, but I can see some characters and groups of characters being replaced with new groups of characters.

 

[kirabook]

I care a lot more about Ienzo now, I was very pleased with how his story came around with AtW and everything. Everyone else held firm on my favorites list except for 1 character... and it isn't even her fault. I'm just.... meh more than I've ever been before and it's kinda sad. I've become very interested in Marluxia, but it's not because of KH3 (it's because of KHUX). Luxord kinda grew on me too, he just wants to play his games.

Anyway, my tops are still Aqua, Sora, Ven, Roxas... but I still like pretty much every KH character.

 

[Face My Fears]

To be honest, Sora was never my top character where I was dying to see more of him. But KH3 made me really like him. All the other games with Sora I never felt like he had development, he always remained the same, but I think he got a lot of development in KH3 that I really enjoyed.

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

My favorites are still Roxas, Riku, Aqua, and Lea/Axel.
But the game has changed my appreciation of a few characters.

First, I absolutely love Isa's character now, and how layered he's become (won't go into to all the details here though). He was a jerk in the past, make no mistake, but after FINNALLY getting insight into his mind via his conversation with Lea (which was a very long time coming) and other subtle diolouge and actions he made during the game (instructing Vexen to assist the apprentices in bringing Roxas and Namine back for example), he feels much more humanized and sympathetic for me. He always had this cold exterior that was implied in Kh2 to be holding back this huge dam of emotions (shown a bit by the intensity of his battle quotes), so finnally seeing that shell crack a little felt very satisfying. His arc in this game reveals he had a genuine conscience, and was capable of both self reflection, and ultimately redemption. I also didn't think he and Lea deserved the somewhat unfortunate falling out they had as Nobodies, so I liked seeing that remedied. Really, I could write a whole nother paragraph about his aforementioned conversation with Lea and some of the brilliant subtext of that scene, but I'd rather keep it to just one. Anyway, his powers at the end of the game are also legitimately my favorite from the new Organization 13 boss fights. Wouldn't mind seeing him playable one day, even without a Keyblade.

Then there's Repliku, who I already loved, but now he's officially had one of the most satisfying and nuanced arcs in the series imo, and that's helped really elevate him for me. It's harkens back to the series central themes of identity and the special paths an individual goes on to find a sense of personal and universal purpose. He was ready to fade away alone in the RoD at first, but after finding Riku (someone he genuinely respected and cared for) he decided that he'd be there for Riku the same way Riku was there for him when he met his end. Riku showed him comfort, sympathy, patience, and forgiveness. All things he wouldn't have gotten from the darkness, which is why he chose to tag along with Riku till the final battle (where he figured he would meet his end one way or another). Repliku and Riku's mutual respect for each other in general is also really unique and interesting to see as well. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, and I can't help but smile every time I see that scene on the beach. His end is unfortunate, but I like to think he either went back to the RoD to retrieve Riku's Way to Dawn (potentially giving him an eventual out), or he simply went to the final world to rest in peace. Either way, that's solid closure for me, but it also gives him some potential to return in a sense.

Ienzo was also pretty great in this game. His voice and speech pattern were always satisfying to hear, and his previously workaholic tendencies he had as Zexion became a healthy determination and work ethic that he used to help aid others, and I can personally admire that. His efforts to bring back Roxas Namine also elevate him in a similar way Lea's actions in DDD elevated him in my mind. Hope he retains some of his Illusionary power too, since those were some of the coolest and most fascinating in the series. Lea retained his Nobody powers just fine, so hopefully some others did too (again, to some degree).

 

[wolfshadow0118]

I have new found respect (?) for the organization members.

 

[SerDuncan]

Spoiler Show

Getting really unsatisfactory conclusions to many of my favorites and other popular characters storylines dropped quite a few down in my rankings. Especially in regards to villains. The lack of meaningful development for Xemnas, Ansem, Y. Xehanort, Vanitas, and even Xigbar dropped them all down a bit. Sure, we got to see them again, but having them say virtually nothing and have no arc, makes me question why they were ever brought back in the first place. Just very frustrating.

For Roxas, Xion, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, and heck, even Axel, their lack of agency and the fact that many of their returns and reunions is infuriating to me. After all the Roxas, Axel, Xion buildup, we get a single cutscene where they hug it out, and that's practically it. Same for the BBS Trio. Aqua and Axel in particular are frustrating, because they should have been more powerful. And yet they lose to plenty of people for questionable reasons, and don't really get to do anything. Despite Axel being my favorite character, it was disheartening to see him do so little.

Kairi in particular dropped even further for me. Her lack of agency, her utter powerlessness, and her demotion back to damsel in distress ruined everything they had been building in DDD and 0.2. What was the point of giving her a keyblade if she was just gonna die?

There's a few others as well... Ansem the Wise dropping his amnesia made him less interesting, the lack of meaningful development for Marluxia made him boring, and the missing voice actors for Aeleus, Dilan and Phil made their previous appearances feel really unimportant. Why even have them in the game at all? Eraqus got a ton of development in the chess scenes and blank points, but hardly did anything in this game. And the little he did do was contradictory to his previous character arcs. Sora... he was fine. Pretty good throughout. No real positive or negative change.

But perhaps my most glaring issue is with Xehanort himself. He dropped quite a bit for me. His lack of a compelling motivation, asinine plan and lackluster boss fights lead me to label him (in KH3) as one of my least favorite villains in the franchise. He just became... boring. After being such an amazing villain in two previous games, seeing him fall so far is saddening to say the least.

Not a lot of positives to be honest, but I like the continuation of Larxene's character arc, Vexen had an intriguing arc (that didn't really go anywhere but still), Luxord had a fun relationship with Sora that I hope to see continue... and best of all, Demyx went from being a one off comedy character to a series mainstay with just a few cutscenes, cementing his character and giving him much more to do.

Overall, I think many characters dropped in my opinion. The character development in this game was atrocious and it hurt many of my favorites. I can only hope that some type of DLC might make some positive changes.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Noone has said this character yet so ima just throw it out

Spoiler Show

Thank god Yen Sid actually did something useful and demonstrated his power instead of just sitting in his chair for every damn game and complaining about Sora, Mickey and Riku being too weak to do this or that. And all of this whilst we are told several times that he is apparently a super powerful retired keyblade master. Im happy they involved him in the way that they did.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

This game just proved that Dilan and Aeleaus were just filler characters. The fact that neither were voiced was a genuine dissapointment to me.

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

This game just proved that Dilan and Aeleaus were just filler characters. The fact that neither were voiced was a genuine dissapointment to me.

Yeah that dissapointed me too, especially since there were so many opportunities for them to speak and become more defined as characters (actually appeared in the game more times than Even if I remember correctly). Dunno what they were thinking with that one.

Also a little curious what Lexeaus' issue with Roxas is/was. Probably something that happened off-screen, but I hope that gets clarified one way or another.

 

[Noivern]

Also a little curious what Lexeaus' issue with Roxas is/was. Probably something that happened off-screen, but I hope that gets clarified one way or another.

It's when he punches Roxas in Days, If I had to guess. Don't really remember that (I don't really remember Lexaeus in general, lol) but I've seen people talk about it.


As for me, Ienzo is now one of my top 5 favorite characters. I'm currently reading the CoM manga and after seeing Ienzo in KH3, even his Nobody is a fave even though I've found them to be quite different.

Aeleus is precious and I wish I could have seen more of him and Dilan, they are basically a package.

The hype towards KH3 basically made me stop hating Riku for what he did in Days and now he's one of my favorites, the biggest reason I'm going through the franchise again through the mangas is to see him for another perspective.

As for who I like less, probably Xehanort and all of his incarnations minus Xemnas (Who looks very hot in this game, thank you new engine) because they are so badly written and nearly non-existent in the game that was supposed to be about them. Master Xehanort went from being the biggest asshole in the franchise and a memorable villain in BBS to a puny old man with a keyblade for me.

I hate Eraqus even more now, did not know that was possible but somehow I do. And I now I added Yen Sid to my list of old men I despise.

 

[eiczerofour]

I did not dislike any character more.

Braig definately moved from not care to care a lot. Xion had some powerful moments, but I already loved her. Terra had powerful moments, and I enjoy him every time he does something because he has just improved since bbs. Ventus, Aqua, Riku all still felt very well developed. I loved how they ended Vanitas. Exacty where I thought he would go so not dissapointed.

Naminé and Roxas felt like they where too built up and just did nothing. I still love both but damn they really did not get much, as opposed to Aqua or Axel. Made me sd because Roxas and Ven are my favourites, and Ven got a lot of growth.

Lastly, I never really cared for Sora but he really grew on me, becoming one of my favourites.

 

[darknessofheart]

Honestly, most of the heroes except for Sora, Donald, Goofy got on my nerves because of how little they actually accomplished until the final battle. Throughout the whole game, characters make fun of Sora, yet he is the only one able to accomplish anything. The scene where Donald mentions that Riku and Mickey are Keyblade Masters, but Sora needed practice was odd to me; Riku and Mickey accomplished nothing and were saved by Sora, who then proceeded to defeat and rescue Aqua and then Ven. Riku and Mickey retrace Aqua's steps for what purpose? They knew where she ended up and sure enough, they end up right back there again. They literally went in a circle the entire game.

As for Lea, his fourth-wall breaking got really annoying because it seemed as though that's all he was there for. It was funny at first, but after a while, I said "I get it, haha, you like to point out the absurdity of the situation and imply how popular you are" (which really didn't make sense in the context of their reality). He was easily beaten several times and his Keyblade was destroyed, so he was another hero adding nothing substantial to the story except cheap jokes. Kairi has already been mentioned pretty frequently, but I find it odd that no one seemed to care too much after Xehanort was defeated. At least she play some part by keeping Sora grounded to life, though it was somewhat of a repeat plot point from KH1.

Aqua wasn't bad, but when she said they stick together and then gives up immediately afterwards because she sees a tornado of heartless, that really made her seem powerless.

I loved all the organization's former and current members because the game added great layers to their characters and it was great to see Ansem the Wise reunite with his apprentices and finally make amends. Terra-Xehanort was by far the most satisfying conclusion for me, as he seems to actually be one of the most evil of the Xehanorts, and his demise was well-done. Ansem finally admitting defeat made perfect sense to me because after all the times Riku has beaten him, even Ansem had to admit his admiration and Riku actually missing him shows how much Riku has grown through his battles with Ansem; he is defined in many ways by his battles with Ansem. Xemnas finally feeling again only to feel loss and his own death was great and satisfying too, though I surmise the remorse was because of the small glimmer of Terra within him.

Master Xehanort's story arc I was particularly happy about. He was badly defeated and did eventually die, but his death was given some meaningful context. Contrary to what many fans feel, I feel his motives were very well aligned with what was written in his reports. He was not redeemed or forgiven by anyone, just defeated by Sora and then stopped by the one man who himself made some truly horrific decisions in the name of light.

The whole Braig/Xigbar is Luxu thing is interesting, but seems a bit thrown in, though is does explain certain scenes that occur in later games.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

KHInsider was right about Kairi's character progression this whole time, out of all the things that this forum would have correctly predicted, it just had to be that...

 

[Absent]

I like Ienzo, Demyx, Vexen, Larxene, and Luxord more. People I dislike more: Sora, Mickey, Aqua, Master Xehanort and his clones, Kairi and Nomura.
Disappointed with: Riku, Roxas, and Lea. I love them soo much but I was underwhelmed.

I adored Jiminy, Donald and Goofy. Everyone else is eh...The same as before.

 

[:::A Hex Torn:::]

I somehow like Olaf even less than I did in Frozen. That count?

 

[shady543]

Spoiler Show

Like a lot of people, I deeply respect Ienzo a lot more now and was happy with the amount of attention he got in this game. True MVP. I also appreciate HPO trio a lot more now too. I do like Xion just slightly more now, and her new design is one of my favourites

Kairi has gone even lower down on my list though, because after KH3 and the secret ending there is honestly just no hope for her anymore. She was great in the first game but just went worse and worse of a character since then.

Sora grew on me even more this game too. I still prefer Roxas and Vanitas over him, but this is the best he has ever been. It's the same personality as KH2 except he gets character development finally. However it really pissed me off how much he basically got bullied in this game. No wonder he broke down at the end and thought he was useless lol.

I was really disappointed in Roxas and Vanitas in this game, but I blame the marketing and interviews since they hyped me up heaps. Aqua also disappointed me heaps since she just kept losing in every fight she was in.

 

[Smithee]

Axel/Lea with that Keyblade < Axel/Lea with those Chakrams.

Ironically, he actually looked far more effective when he fought with the latter.

 

[OneDandelion]

Spoiler Show

Honestly I like xehanort more now that I know his true motivations. Hes still a villain for sure but in his way he was trying his best to be the savior of the worlds. And I think his feelings were so strong of this that he could transcend time

 

[Zettaflare]

Oddly enough I sort of like Luxord more now? Of course I'm disappointed thatHe hails from the Chi era instead of The Caribbean like I was hoping But I'm kind of a bit more intrigued by him now. Which is why I'm hoping he returns somehow in the next saga